


Call

by thewishingdragon



Series: Word of the Day Stories [15]
Category: Heathers (1988), Heathers: The Musical - Murphy & O'Keefe
Genre: Betty is puerto rican, Chandler's hair is dyed red bc aesthetic, Duke is korean, Mac is irish/japanese, Past Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Veronica is cuban/italian, Veronica wears glasses, also the rating/warnings might change so just a heads up, it gets stopped though don't worry, other tags will be added as they become relevant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-11-06
Packaged: 2019-04-07 14:35:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14083047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewishingdragon/pseuds/thewishingdragon
Summary: A Word of the Day prompt that I decided to make into a multi chapter fic.Based on a family rule my mom's family has: If we ever know anyone who doesn't have a place to go, or enough food to eat, or enough money to afford their ride home, we help out however we can.So basically it's Veronica helping people and the Heathers learning more about her and the people around them.





	1. A Place to Go

Veronica remembers clearly the lessons her family taught her.

Sawyers are brave.

Sawyers are kind.

Sawyers are strong.

Sawyers are loyal.

Sawyers look out for their own.

She uses all of these lessons whenever she can, but the lesson she most clearly remembers came after she first found out about Betty’s parents.

“This house is a safe place for anyone that needs it,” her mother had said. She’d told Betty to go upstairs and get ready to go to sleep, and had asked Veronica to stay downstairs so they could talk. “If you know anyone who needs a place to go, or if anyone you know needs something and you know we can help, then you help them however you can. Understood?”

Veronica had nodded, and that had been that.

Which is why, during lunch a week after joining the Heathers, Veronica found herself being approached by a freshman.

“Are you Veronica Sawyer?”

Veronica turned around to look at the person who spoke. He was short, a little gangly, and he was wearing an oversized t-shirt and baggy jeans. “Yeah. What’s your name?”

“Anthony. I, uh, I was talking to Dennis, from the newspaper,” he muttered, fidgeting with his hands as he spoke, “And he said that if I have a problem, I should talk to you.”

Veronica’s eyes widened. “Yeah, definitely. What do you need?”

“My-my little sister,” he said, “She needs a place to stay for a few nights. Things with our dad are…” He trailed off, looking up at the Heathers.

Veronica nodded. “Alright, so how long do you think you and your sister are gonna be staying with us?”

Anthony’s eyes widened. “M-me and my-?”

Veronica frowned. “Well, yeah. If things are bad for both of you, then I’d prefer it if you both stayed at my house until things calm down or you find somewhere else to stay.”

A watery smile made its way across Anthony’s face. “Thank you so much!”

Veronica smiled. “It’s no problem. I’m happy to help.”

The Heathers watched in awe and confusion as Anthony and Veronica spent the rest of lunch planning out how they were going to move him and his sister into Veronica’s house.


	2. A Safe Place

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day, and maybe a third and/or fourth coming up soon.
> 
> I have a lot of ideas for this fic, tbh.

The next day, the Heathers and Veronica were walking to class when a girl from the cheer squad stopped them.

“Veronica! Hey!” she said.

Veronica grinned. “Leah! Hi! How is everything?”

Leah smiled. “Things are getting better. I actually needed to ask you for a favor.”

“Go ahead.”

“Alright.” Leah glanced at the Heathers for an instant. “So you know how I have this secret that I can’t really tell anyone?”

Veronica nodded.

“Well… I told my parents and they didn’t exactly take it well, so I sort of need a place to stay until I can call my older sister and see if she’s got room for me.”

“Oh! No problem! Both of the guest rooms are sort of taken right now, but we can pull out an air mattress or something and you can room with me.”

Leah smiled. “That sounds great. I’ll come over after school once I’ve got the stuff I packed. Thank you so much for this! I promise, I won’t be any trouble at all.”

Veronica grinned. “Don’t worry about it. I’m always happy to help.”

Leah offered Veronica one last smile before running off to class.

“What the fuck?” Chandler said. “Why is everyone coming to you to solve all their problems? You don’t have time for that shit.”

Veronica shrugged. “I’m fine with it. My mom always said you should help people who need it. And personally, I like knowing that people think of me as someone they can count on when things get tough.”

Chandler scoffed, walking ahead of Veronica. “Still, you’re one of us now. They need to see that.”

Veronica stopped, frowning down at her. “Before I am  _ anything _ else, I’m a Sawyer, and that means I help people when they need it. Hanging out with you is never going to change that.”

Chandler’s eyes narrowed. “God, Sawyer, who pissed in your cornflakes this morning? I was just saying-”

“You were  _ saying _ that being around you somehow changes who I am. You’re insinuating that I’m  _ above _ helping people just because I’m ‘a Heather.’” Veronica growled, stepping into Chandler’s personal space. “My priorities and yours are  _ very _ different, but if you think for a  _ second _ that I’m going to change my morals just because you gave me a makeover and a skirt, you’re sorely mistaken.”

At that, Veronica turned on her heel and marched off to her class without another word to any of the Heathers.


	3. Loyalties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of people storming off in this chapter. I didn't exactly plan it this way, but i guess it works.

“Ask around for dirt on Veronica.” Chandler said, not looking at either of the other Heathers. “See what you can find. She needs to learn that she doesn’t get to disrespect me like that and get away without a scratch.”

She hadn’t expected it to be so _difficult._

* * *

 

“What can you tell me about Veronica Sawyer?”

Courtney jumped a bit in surprise, turning to face the intruder. “What’s it matter to you?” She asked, suspicious.

Chandler scoffed, looking around the locker room disinterestedly. “It doesn’t matter _why._ All that matters is that I want information.”

“If you want dirt, you’re not getting it.” Courtney leaned back against the locker behind her. “Especially not from me or anyone _else_ on the swim team. Or the student council, for that matter.”

Chandler looked down her nose at her. “And why _not?_ ”

Courtney shrugged. “She helped me out once, and pretty much everyone else can say the same thing. You’re not getting anything out of anyone here that you can use against her.”

Chandler smirked, leaning in close until she was crowding the short girl. “You _vastly_ underestimate my abilities”

At that, she turned around and sauntered out of the women’s locker room, frowning to herself as soon as the door closed.

Hopefully Duke or McNamara were able to get something.

* * *

 

“Sorry, Heather.” Dennis said, turning away from the shelf where he was currently sorting books. “I haven’t got any information about her.”

“Bull _shit._ ” Duke growled. “You have information on literally everyone else!”

Dennis shrugged. “ _Everyone else_ isn’t Veronica.”

Duke frowned. “It’s because she helped you out once, isn’t it?”

Dennis stiffened, before stepping down off the stepladder slowly. “Where’d you hear that from?”

“Some Anthony kid said you told him to talk to her if you had a problem.”

Dennis sighed in relief. Turning around, he fixed Duke with a stern look. “Yes, she helped me with something. I didn’t even ask her to, but she offered, and honestly, it’s the kindest thing anyone’s ever done for me, so I’m not about to sell her out to you or anyone else. Go somewhere else for your information if you want, but I’m staying out of this, and I can bet you anything that everyone else here will tell you the same thing.” Turning back to the bookshelf, he climbed back up the stepladder and resumed his task. “You’re not gonna get anything. She’s bulletproof. Take my advice, and just leave her be.”

Duke huffed and stormed out of the library.

* * *

 

“ _Hell_ no, Heather.” Leah kept walking, not sparing a glance behind her. “I’m not giving you any information.”

“But _Leah!_ ” Mac whined. “Why not?”

Leah spun around to face her, her eyes hard and angry in a way Mac had never seen from the usually upbeat cheerleader. “Because everyone knows you don’t tell a _Heather_ anything they can use against you, and everyone knows Veronica is willing to help anyone that needs it, no questions asked. When you put it like that, it’s pretty easy to figure out, right?”

Mac froze, eyes wide.

Leah scoffed. “If you want someone to sell her out, you’re out of luck. The cheer squad likes her too much for any of us to give you anything you can use. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get home so I can get my stuff together.”

Leah stormed off the practice field towards the building, leaving Mac behind.

* * *

 

“So none of us have _anything?!_ ” Chandler huffed, collapsing backwards onto her bed.

“Dennis said she’s bulletproof,” Duke said, slumped over in Chandler’s desk chair. “He gives me information on everybody else but apparently ‘ _everybody else isn’t Veronica’_ ” Duke mocked.

Chandler rolled her eyes. “Courtney said about the same thing.” She looked over at Mac. “What about you, Heather? Did you find anything out?”

“Leah said there’s apparently some agreement around school not to tell us anything that can be used against them,” Mac muttered.

“Jesus, really?” Chandler said. “What’s Dennis doing for us then?”

Duke’s eyes widened. “Oh my god.”

“What?” Chandler demanded.

“He _wasn’t_ telling me anything we could use against anyone.” Duke said. “It’s all stuff people already knew.”

Chandler scoffed. “Even the thing about Martha having a huge crush on Ram?”

Duke shrugged. “Probably! That’s the best explanation, right? If they’ve all agreed not to tell us stuff we can use against them, then it stands to reason that none of what he’s been telling me is stuff that anyone thinks is worth talking about!”

Mac frowned from her spot on the floor. “Leah said that everyone knows Veronica’s willing to help them if they need it, and that that makes it easy for everyone to decide who they’re loyal to.”

Chandler frowned. “What the fuck? What does she have that we don’t?”

Mac looked up then, looking genuinely distraught. “People _like_ her, Heather! And they don’t like us! They’re willing to protect her because they hate us! I don’t know about you, but that’s not what I signed up for!”

Chandler’s eyes widened.

Duke rolled her eyes. “Heather, you _had_ to know that already. Nobody likes us. They fear us. It’s how things work.”

“I don’t _want_ things to work that way!” Mac stood, hands clenched into fists. “I don’t _want_ people to hate me.”

She sighed, shoulders sagging as she turned towards the door.

“I’m gonna head home. See you tomorrow.”

Chandler and Duke watched in shock as the door clicked shut.


	4. Not Afraid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four chapters in one day. Holy shit.

Veronica sighed in relief as she leaned back against the front door. Home at last. No Heathers, no Kurt and Ram, just her and her cat.

And also the three people who would be staying with her and her parents until they could find an alternative.

Veronica smiled to herself as she ran upstairs to her room, grabbing a set of pajamas and making a beeline for her bathroom. As soon as the door shut she took off the skirt, blazer, brooch, and shirt the Heathers had “gifted” her.

Honestly, she liked the outfit, she just wished she could have a little variety other than blazer, mini skirt, knee socks every day.

She pulled on the well-loved t-shirt, and tugged a gray pullover on top of it. She looked down at it and snorted. “More pan than Peter and twice as magical.” Peter would always swat at her playfully when he saw her wearing it.

As soon as she had on her most comfortable pants, she grabbed her makeup wipes and got to work removing the awful stuff from her face. It was  _ way _ too heavy, and she already had enough problems without making her Sensory Processing Disorder flare up from wearing this shit on her face.

Once  _ that _ was off, she took out her contacts and put them away, groping around blindly until her hand closed around her glasses. She sighed in relief as she felt the thick black plastic settle across her nose, smiling at her reflection in the mirror.

Wait.

_ Fuck. _ She still had to wash her face.

Groaning, she got her cleanser and moisturizer and put them on the counter where she’d be able to get them without much trouble, and draped a towel over her shoulders to dry her face with and set about taking care of the skincare routine she’d had to make even  _ more  _ thorough to help avoid breakouts.

Curse her oily skin.

When she finally,  _ finally _ finished, she dried her face and moisturized, putting her glasses back on and running downstairs to wait for Leah and help her get set up.

* * *

 

Leah groaned as she flopped onto Veronica’s bed. “Ugh. Today was the worst.”

“Were your parents being difficult?”

Leah’s face scrunched up. “Even worse. Heather McNamara was bugging me after cheer practice trying to get information out of me.”

Veronica frowned. “What kind of information?”

Leah sat up and looked at Veronica. “Apparently you pissed off the  _ great and powerful _ Heather Chandler and now she’s looking for dirt on you.”

Veronica snorted. “I’m not afraid of Heather Chandler. As soon as I graduate she won’t have any power over me, so it’s not worth worrying about.”

“Still,” Leah murmured, grabbing Veronica’s hands and tugging her closer, “Be careful.”

“I will.” Veronica smiled, squeezing Leah’s hands.

“Good. Now,” Leah smirked, “Word around school is you’re a pretty good kisser.”

Veronica smiled slyly. “I’ve had some  _ very _ good reviews.”

Leah hummed. “People say you like kissing pretty girls.”

“People are right,” Veronica purred.

“Am  _ I _ a pretty girl?”

Veronica grinned. “ _ Very pretty. _ ”

Leah pulled her forwards by the collar of her sweatshirt, closing the distance and humming in satisfaction when Veronica kissed back eagerly.

“You know,” Veronica murmured between kisses, “You’re probably one of the first girls to only kiss me  _ after _ coming out.”

“Less talking, more kissing,” Leah huffed, nipping at Veronica’s lower lip.

Veronica growled, obeying eagerly and letting the world fall away.


	5. Dennis' Story: Happy to Help

Dennis and Veronica had never been  _ close,  _ per se, but for the most part, they’d always been on friendly terms.

Still, the fact remained that they had never really considered themselves to be friends, which made Veronica’s offer even more unexpected than it already was

Veronica had briefly held an interest in the yearbook and newspaper committees in sophomore year, which, as Dennis had later discovered, was  _ not _ because she was passionate about journalism or photography. As such, she and Dennis spent a lot of time together in the club room, and Veronica, good at reading people as she was, had noticed Dennis’ less than stellar mood.

“You alright?” She asked, pausing in the middle of editing the newspaper for errors. “You seem kinda stressed.”

Dennis shrugged. “There’s some stuff going on, but I’ll be fine.”

Veronica slid the papers she was working on to the side, offering him her full attention. “Do you wanna talk about it? I’m not gonna judge, I promise.”

Dennis eyed her curiously. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her… okay that was a lie, he wasn’t sure if he could trust her.

“Dennis,” she said gently, “My parents are both therapists. I know how important confidentiality is. If you decide you want to talk, I promise it’ll stay between us unless you give me permission to talk about it, and if you don’t want to talk, then let me know and I won’t ask again.”

Dennis frowned. “I just… I came out to my parents last night. They know I’m gay now, and part of me is relieved to not have to hide anything from them anymore, but…”

“But?”

He sighed. “Mom and Dad… didn’t take it well. Mom hasn’t said anything since last night, and Dad got angry, so I’m not really looking forward to going home today.”

Veronica nodded, and then, “Do you want to stay at my house until they come around? We’ve got a guest room you could stay in until things calm down, and I know Mom and Dad won’t mind you staying over.”

Dennis’ eyes widened. “You’d do that?”

Veronica shrugged. “Mom says our house is a safe place for anyone that needs it. If home isn’t safe for you, then you can stay with us until it’s safe again.”

“But… why are you helping me?”

“Because I want to?” Veronica peered at him in confusion. “I just like helping people, I guess.”

Dennis couldn’t think of a reason this could be a bad idea. Veronica seemed to honestly have no ulterior motive for helping him.

He sighed. “Alright. We just need to go to my house and pick up some things, and then we can go to your house.”

Veronica grinned. “Cool! I’ll call Mom and let her know I need her to pick us up after school.”

* * *

 

Veronica’s mom was… odd.

Nice, but odd.

She and Veronica talked animatedly in the front seat, while Dennis sat awkwardly in the back.

Veronica seemed so  _ open _ here, like she trusted her mother with anything.

“You two seem close,” He said absently, only becoming aware of his words when Mrs. Sawyer turned to smile at him.

“We’ve always tried our best to make sure Veronica knows she can tell us anything.”

Veronica chuckled. “That still didn’t make it easy for me to come out to you.”

Dennis balked. “You’re gay too?!”

Veronica shrugged. “I mean, sort of? I don’t really have a preference when it comes to gender. I think the word for that is pansexual?”

Mrs. Sawyer nodded. “You’ve always been an anxious child. I can imagine you probably felt pretty terrified to tell us something so personal.” She looked into the rearview mirror, locking eyes with Dennis. “I think it’s good that you had the courage to tell your parents, and I want you to know that if they don’t come around, it’s not because there’s anything wrong with you, and you’re entirely welcome to stay with us as long as you need to if they don’t accept you.”

Dennis nodded shyly. “Thank you, Mrs. Sawyer.”

She smiled. “It’s nothing. We’re always glad to help.”

* * *

 

Dennis’ parents did eventually come around, about a week later, and he went back home, but not before thanking Veronica and her parents again for giving him a place to stay.

He approached Veronica one day at school to thank her, but she shook her head.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said, “Just… remember that if you ever need anything, I’m always happy to help.”

Now, whenever Dennis thinks of Veronica, he smiles.

And if he ever finds out that someone’s been kicked out of their house, or that home isn’t safe for someone, he tells them to find Veronica Sawyer. She helped him, and he knows she’ll help them to the best of her ability.

That’s just the kind of person she is.


	6. Party Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Heathers learn a few new things about Veronica, and Betty somehow makes orange look good.

Monday ended up being like any other day for Veronica. The Heathers hadn’t tried anything, and Veronica figured they probably couldn’t find any information they could use against her, so she decided not to bring up the fact that she knew they were trying to mess with her. Nothing had come of it, so it probably wasn’t worth mentioning.

“So there’s a party at a Remington kid’s house tonight,” Veronica said as she slid into the seat next to Chandler at the lunch table. “Are we going, or do you have other plans?”

Chandler scoffed. “Everyone knows those parties are invite-only. You can’t even get in unless you have the card with you.” She peered suspiciously at Veronica. “How do you know there’s a party tonight, anyway?”

Veronica smirked, slowly raising her invitation to eye level and taking great pleasure in the way the Heathers’ eyes widened. “I happen to be pretty close with the Razorbacks’ quarterback, so I got an invite. And since I have an invite…” she grinned, “I can bring guests.”

Duke and Mac watched as Chandler considered Veronica’s statement.

“Fine. We’re going.” Chandler announced.

“On one condition.” Veronica held up a hand, cutting her off before she could continue.

Chandler frowned. “What is it?”

“I want to wear my own clothes. This,” she gestured to her current outfit, “Is pretty off-brand for me. If I’m going to this party, then I’m going in my style.” Before Chandler could object, she added, “You can’t get in without me. This is my invite, and they already recognize me, so they’ll know if I’m not there.”

Chandler sneered.  _ “Fine.” _

Veronica smiled. “Great! Just drop me off at my house and I’ll meet you at the party tonight.”

“Why don’t we just get ready at your house?” Duke asked.

Veronica shrugged. “I usually go with Betty and Martha, and the four of us already planned to go together.”

“Four?” Mac asked.

“Yeah,” Veronica said, “Me, Betty, Martha, and Courtney.”

Duke frowned. “Why is Courtney going?”

“Because she likes Remington parties and I bring her along most of the time anyway.”

“Wait,” Chandler said, “Why are Betty Finn and Martha Dumptruck going?”

Veronica frowned. “First of all, it’s Dunnstock. Second, Betty’s dating a member of Remington’s popular clique, so she automatically gets invited, and Martha’s pretty well-liked over there, too.”

“Say that again?” Chandler said, eyes wide.

Veronica blinked. “Martha’s well liked?”

“No, the other thing,” Chandler said, “The thing about Betty Finn actually dating someone.”

“Wow, rude,” Veronica scoffed. “They met at a football game, and they hit it off, so now they’re dating. Not much else to it, honestly.”

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” Duke said bluntly.

“Nope.” With that, Veronica rose from the table. “I’m gonna go get food. Anyone else want anything?”

When nobody answered, Veronica shrugged and went through the lunch line on her own, leaving the Heathers to watch her curiously.

* * *

 

The Heathers arrived at the party at 9. It was quieter than most of the parties they usually went to, but they chalked it up to the party just not being in full swing yet.

Before they could go in, they were stopped by someone standing at the door. “Can I help you?”

Chandler glared. “We’re here for the party.”

He raised a brow, unimpressed. “So is everyone else here, but I’m still going to need to see your invites.”

“We’re here with Veronica,” Mac said, ignoring Chandler’s glare.

This time, both brows raised. “Veronica’s coming tonight?” He chuckled. “The party’s about to get a whole lot more lively.” He looked around for a second. “Did she come here with you? She’s not here yet, so I can’t let you in until she arrives.”

Duke groaned. “No, she’s with Betty and Martha.”

He grinned. “Oh, good. I was worried about what might happen if those two wouldn’t be around to look after her.”

Chandler was intrigued. “Why’s that?”

He opened his mouth to answer, but stopped when he saw a car approaching. “Oh, good. They’re here.”

They watched the car park before the driver’s side door opened to reveal Martha in… a surprisingly flattering wine red A-line dress and black flats. Betty got out on the passenger’s side wearing an orange shirt, a baseball jacket, jeans, and black Converse. Courtney got out of the backseat wearing a knee-length skirt, a black blouse, and heels.

They saw the back door open on the other side, and let out a collective gasp of awe and surprise.

Veronica stepped out of the car in dark purple Vans, skinny jeans, and a purple crop top with a black leather jacket to complete the ensemble.

“Hey!” Veronica ran up the porch steps to greet the man at the door. “Jermaine! It’s good to see you!”

Jermaine grinned. “Looking wonderful as always, Veronica.”

Veronica smirked. “You know it.”

The Heathers watched her talk to Jermaine for a minute, their eyes all focusing first on the expertly applied winged eyeliner and smokey eyeshadow, before settling on the plum purple matte lipstick that she wore.

They all fought to tear their eyes away once they realized they’d been staring.

Veronica turned to look at the Heathers, and they all tensed, ready to deny having been looking at her as long as they were.

Instead, Veronica smiled, and asked, “What do you think?  _ Way _ better than my usual outfit, huh?”

Chandler looked her up and down, ignoring the confusing feelings she felt as she realized just how right Veronica was.

Veronica looked over Chandler’s shoulder then, her expression shifting to confusion. “You alright, Heather? You look like you spaced out for a second.”

Chandler turned to see Mac looking the most embarrassed she’d ever seen her.

“I’m fine.” Mac answered quickly, averting her eyes. “I just didn’t know you had a tongue piercing, is all.”

“Or a navel piercing,” Duke interjected.

“Oh, yeah!” Veronica grinned. “I got those as soon as I turned 17! Right after the ones I got for my 16th birthday finished healing.”

“What kind of piercing takes a year to heal?” Duke asked.

Veronica smirked. “Nipple piercings.” She winked, and she could have sworn that all three Heathers blushed at that.

“Ahem,” Courtney smirked knowingly at the Heathers, ignoring their harsh glares as she sauntered up next to Veronica and linked her arm in Veronica’s. “As fun as this conversation is, I think it’d be a lot more fun if we had it inside.”

Veronica nodded, and Jermaine let them in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is probably going to be the Heathers at the party trying to figure out what's going on with both their feelings and the people around them acting differently than what they're used to.


	7. Defying Expectations

The so-called “Remington Ragers” didn’t seem to be as wild as people made them out to be. There were a few people gathered in the living room talking, and a small group in the kitchen joking and eating snacks. Everyone else seemed to be in the backyard standing around the pool or splitting off into small groups to chat.

“So this is what a Remington party looks like?” Chandler scoffed. “I’m not impressed.”

Veronica snorted. “Of course you aren’t. Look, these parties are usually pretty chill. Good booze, friendly people, quality music. It’s not as loud or as annoying as any of Kurt and Ram’s parties. Plus, the guys here are  _ way _ less predatory than the ones at Westerburg parties.”

Mac seemed intrigued by this information. “You mean they aren’t all pushy and handsy?”

Veronica nodded, frowning slightly at Mac’s bewilderment. “All I’ve ever had to do to get a Remington student to leave me alone is tell them I’m not interested. They back off right away.”

“What about the quarterback?” Duke asked, “Don’t you _owe him_ something for the invite?”

Veronica grimaced. “ _ God, _ no. First of all, the people here aren’t like that, and second of all, I don’t owe anyone access to my body for any reason. If I don’t want to do something sexual with someone else, then nobody has any right to try and force me.”

The Heathers were floored by this information.

Courtney suddenly cleared her throat, and all eyes were on her. “I don’t mean to interrupt,” she said, “But I want to go get a drink, and  _ you _ owe me a dance after making me miss the last party.” She tugged Veronica’s sleeve, and smirked when Veronica followed obediently, rolling her eyes fondly.

“I’ll be back soon,” Veronica called, “Try not to get yourselves in any trouble, and if anything happens, come find me.”

“Whatever,” Chandler huffed, turning back to Duke and Mac, “Well, let’s mingle.”

Mac jumped a bit in surprise at a gentle tap on her shoulder. Whirling around, she locked eyes with a tall, muscular girl who was smiling down at them.

“Hey! I saw you come in, but I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself.” The girl held out a hand, which Mac tentatively took. “I’m Emily Greene. I’m the quarterback for the Remington football team.” The Heathers’ eyes widened. “I saw you come in with Veronica. Is she your date?”

“ _ You’re _ the quarterback?” Duke’s eyes were wide in disbelief.

Emily nodded. “You didn’t know the Razorbacks were a co-ed team?”

Mac shook her head.

Emily snorted. “Wow. I wasn’t expecting that look. What are your names? I was going to ask Veronica to introduce us, but I have a feeling she’s...  _ preoccupied, _ at the moment.”

Duke ignored that statement in favor of the more obvious question. “You thought Heather was here as Veronica’s date?”

Emily’s eyes widened in realization. “Wait, you’re the Heathers?”

Mac nodded.

Emily grinned. “Veronica’s told me about you. It’s good to finally put faces to the names.”

“All good things, I hope,” Mac said.

Emily shrugged. “It kind of depends on who you ask, but Veronica always seems to have something nice to say. Betty says good things about _ you _ in particular. She said you used to be close.”

Mac looked away, her face reddening in what looked like shame. “I didn’t expect her to still think so highly of me.”

Emily frowned. “Well, she doesn’t really understand why the two of you stopped talking, but she still cares. Seems to be a recurring theme, actually.” She locked eyes with Duke. “Martha says lots of nice things about you, you know.”

“Of course she does,” Duke averted her eyes, “She doesn’t know how to hate anyone.”

“That’s good though, isn’t it?” Emily asked, “If more people were like her, then the world would be a much nicer place.”

Chandler peered around the room, taking in the sights. “I thought these were called  _ Remington Ragers. _ Why’s everything so mellow?”

Emily chuckled. “Honestly, most of our parties are pretty tame. Veronica usually makes things a lot more exciting, though.”

“What does that mean?” Duke asked.

“Just wait until she gets a couple of drinks in her,” another voice remarked, “You’ll see what she means.”

The Heathers turned around to find the source of the voice. When they did, Mac gasped.

“You!”

The girl smiled. “Heather McNamara. It’s been a while.”

Mac scowled.

“Who are you, exactly?” Chandler asked.

“And why does Heather look so upset to see you?” Duke added.

The girl flashed them a dazzling smile and held out her hand. “Laura Byrd, head cheerleader for the Razorbacks. Heather and I had a little… disagreement, if you will, at the regional cheer competition last year.”

Emily blinked. “Wait.  _ This _ is the girl that punched you?!”

Laura nodded. “You have a hell of a right hook, by the way.”

Mac huffed, glaring at the other cheerleader.

Duke, seeming to realize that she wouldn’t be getting any more information, decided to change the subject. “What did you mean when you said to wait until Veronica has a couple of drinks?”

Laura glanced around, her long brown hair whipping around her face as her eyes searched the crowd. She seemed to find what she was looking for, because a moment later she grinned, eyes focused on a spot just outside the Heathers’ periphery. “Over there,” she said, gesturing towards the other side of the room, “Looks like she’s gotten started. We won’t have to wait long for the party to get interesting.”

The Heathers turned to follow her gaze, their eyes landing on Veronica standing in the middle of a group of Remington girls, laughing and sipping her drink while they all seemed to vie for her attention, the light from the next room illuminating her silhouette and framing her in a halo of soft light. They watched as she grinned at one of the girls, her smile turning playful, almost seductive, before one of the girls brought a hand to the back of her neck and pulled Veronica down to her level for a kiss.

Chandler gaped. “What the  _ fuck?! _ ”

Laura shrugged. “This is kind of what she does at these parties. She’ll flirt a little, maybe kiss a few of the girls, and as long as she doesn’t get too drunk, things tend to stay pretty mellow.”

Just then, they heard Courtney’s voice behind them. “I remember one time she brought me to one of these parties,” she said, “And she jumped into the pool in just her underwear. From the roof. In  _ October. _ ”

“You’re joking,” Duke said.

Courtney shook her head. “I’ve got pictures. Betty has video. Martha was the one to get her blankets when she came inside trembling like a leaf.”

“Does she do stuff like that a lot when she’s drunk?” Mac asked.

Courtney, Laura, and Emily all nodded in unison.

“But as long as she doesn’t have too much, we won’t have to worry about any risky drunk shenanigans,” Emily assured them, “And if she  _ does _ try any risky shit, Betty, Martha and Courtney are around to keep her from getting herself killed.”

Chandler turned to look at Courtney. “About that,” she said, “What are you even doing here? If I’m remembering things correctly, you haven’t been to a party since sophomore year.”

“I haven’t been to a  _ Westerburg _ party since sophomore year,” Courtney corrected, “Remington parties are way better. Honestly, if it hadn’t been for Veronica, I might have sworn off parties altogether.”

“Why?” Duke asked.

Courtney looked over at Veronica, who appeared to be playing an intense game of tonsil hockey with a Remington student. “The last Westerburg party I went to...” She glared down at the plastic cup in her hand. “Something bad happened. Veronica was the one who kept things from getting worse.”

“She helps people a lot, doesn’t she?” Mac mused, a far off look in her eyes.

Courtney hummed in agreement. “Her family has a sort of code they live by. If someone needs help, and they’re able to do something, then they’ll do what they can. Apparently the Sawyers are the most ride or die people in Sherwood.”

Chandler scoffed. “People should learn to help themselves.”

Courtney shrugged. “I dunno. I think it’s a noble thing to do. I’ve heard lots of people’s stories about things Veronica has helped them with. Hell, ask pretty much anyone at our school and they’ll tell you about something she’s done for them as long as it’s not something super personal.”

“And what does she ask for in return?” Chandler asked.

“Nothing.”

Chandler snorted. “Bullshit. Nobody does anything for nothing.”

“Veronica does.”

Chandler sneered as she watched Veronica giggle at something one of the Remington girls said. There was no way Veronica was genuinely that good, and Chandler was going to figure out what her angle was, one way or another.


	8. Courtney's Story: Anything at All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> URGENT NOTE: Just a heads up, this chapter references an attempted assault. Nothing actually happens, but if talking about sexual assault, even if it never actually happens in the chapter, is triggering for any of you, or makes any of you uncomfortable, then please feel free to skip this chapter. I don't want to accidentally expose any of you to something potentially triggering without warning.

Courtney doesn’t go to Westerburg parties anymore.

Not after sophomore year.

She’d been at a party, and apparently some college kids who had graduated a couple years before were in attendance, and she’d ended up talking to one of them. He was alright, at first. He talked to her, made her feel less alone despite the fact that it was the first time they had met. And so she ignored it when he started getting closer as the night wore on, assuming that he was just an affectionate person.

She hadn’t noticed when he slipped something in her drink.

The rest of the night was a blur, but she remembered feeling panicked as he dragged her outside, his hand clasped tight around her wrist and his breath stinking of liquor.

She woke up groggy and confused and fully clothed in a bedroom that most likely didn’t belong to her would-be attacker. On the nightstand was a glass of water and a bottle of painkillers. She drank the water and took one of the pills and decided to figure out where she was.

She padded down the stairs barefoot, and, hearing the sounds of someone cooking, wandered to the kitchen, where she found Veronica standing over the stove.

Veronica had smiled, offered her breakfast, and told her what happened the night before.

* * *

 “You were drugged,” Veronica said.

Courtney sputtered, staring wide-eyed at Veronica from across the dining table. _“What?”_

Veronica sighed. “I missed my morning run yesterday, and I needed to burn off that energy or else I would have been up all night, so I went for a jog, and I saw you. Some guy was with you, and he was dragging you by the arm. You looked scared, and it seemed like you were trying to get away. I ran up to him to see what was up, and he tried to tell me you were just really drunk, but your eyes looked glazed over, like you weren’t entirely aware of what was going on. I told him I’d make sure you got home safe, but he kept insisting everything was fine, even though you kept trying to pull your arm away. He got tired of me making things difficult for him after a while, and he tried to scare me off, and when I didn’t leave him alone, he got violent. I punched him in the face and kicked him in the balls. I’m pretty sure I broke his nose.”

“Wow,” Courtney muttered, too shocked to say much else.

“Anyway, he called me a crazy bitch and ran off, and I took your car keys and tried them on the cars in the driveway until I found yours, and I drove us here because I don’t know where you live. I camped out on the couch. I figured you wouldn’t want to wake up next to another person in a bed you didn’t recognize.”

“Thanks,” Courtney said, still trying to process what Veronica was telling her.

Veronica shrugged. “It was nothing. We’ve got to look out for each other, y’know? There are too many things that can go wrong if women don’t keep each other safe.”

* * *

 Courtney hadn’t known what to say when Veronica finished her story. She’d hardly said more than two words to Veronica, but she had still decided to step in when she saw that Courtney was in trouble. She was glad that Veronica had been there. Who knew what could have happened if she hadn’t intervened.

Before she left, Veronica had stopped her at the front door and slipped a piece of paper in her hand.

“If you ever need anything at all,” she said, “Just call. I don’t care if it’s two in the morning or if it’s a Sunday afternoon or if I’m in the middle of a movie night with Betty and Martha. If you’re ever in a tight spot, if you ever feel unsafe, or if you just need to talk to someone, you let me know, and I’ll do everything in my power to help. You can always count on that.”

Courtney had added Veronica’s number to her contacts as soon as she got home, and, true to her word, Veronica answered every time Courtney called. She replied to every text, no matter what time it was. She went places with Courtney whenever she didn’t want to be alone. She helped however she could, and if she couldn’t do anything, she would try to help Courtney come up with solutions.

It was why she went to Veronica whenever she had a problem she couldn’t solve on her own. Veronica had saved her hide before, and she knew she could depend on her if she needed to.

It was why later that year, when Veronica had shown Courtney her first invite to a Remington party and offered to take her as her plus one, she had accepted. She knew Veronica would look out for her, wouldn’t let anything bad happen while Courtney was under her watch.

It was why, months later, when she had started questioning her sexuality, she’d only told Veronica. Veronica had promised not to tell anyone about what happened at the party without Courtney’s permission, and had never betrayed that trust. Courtney had known that she could trust her.

She trusted Veronica with her life, and decided that, if nothing else, she’d be just as trustworthy for Veronica as Veronica had been for her. Any secret she couldn’t tell anyone else, Courtney would keep for her. She felt it was the least she could do for the person who had helped her so much.

If Veronica would help her whenever she called, then Courtney would do her part to help Veronica in return.


	9. Happy Birthday, Heather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the Remington party, Courtney gets an idea, Chandler has her lesbian awakening, and this fic earns its Mature rating.

It had been about an hour since the Heathers had last seen Veronica.

They weren’t _worried,_ obviously, but they were curious.

Okay, maybe they were a little bit worried.

“Do you think she’s alright?” Mac asked, shuffling her feet nervously.

Chandler scoffed. “She’s probably just making out with some girl like she’s been doing since we got here.”

Duke frowned, glaring down at the drink in her hand like it had personally offended her.

Courtney noticed this, and smirked as she came up with a plan.

“Hey, Heather,” she drawled, leaning heavily against Chandler and slurring her words in an attempt to seem drunk, “Wasn’t it your birthday a couple weeks ago?”

Chandler eyed her suspiciously. “Yeah. What about it?”

Courtney grinned and inhaled deeply. “Attention everyone! I have an important announcement!”

Suddenly all eyes were on her. She straightened up, winked when the Heathers looked at her in disbelief, and turned her attention back to the crowd.

“It has come to my attention that it was Heather Chandler’s birthday recently,” she announced, her grin getting wider at the sound of the crowd applauding, “Veronica! How about you give the birthday girl a little _present?”_

The Heathers turned to see Veronica standing in front of the crowd, rolling her eyes. “She doesn’t want to see that, Courtney.”

“Oh, I think she _does._ ”

Chandler was unnerved by the conspiratorial look in Courtney’s eyes, but she managed to look unfazed by the display.

“I’m actually intrigued,” she said.

Courtney laughed. “You’re in for a _treat!”_ She took a chair from the dining room and brought it into the living room, setting it in the middle of the floor and gesturing between it and Chandler. “Have a seat.”

Chandler sat down carefully, smoothing out her skirt and watching Courtney carefully.

Courtney chuckled. “Don’t worry. You’ll enjoy this.”

With that, Courtney turned and made her way over to Veronica. The two whispered about something for a moment before Courtney stalked off.

Veronica walked over to Chandler, who stiffened in her seat.

“Hey,” Veronica whispered, “Are you sure about this? You can tell her no. None of us will hold it against you.”

Chandler shook her head defensively. “Whatever it is, I can handle it.”

Veronica looked hesitant, but nodded, moving to straddle Chandler’s thighs, smirking devilishly down at Chandler as her brows shot up to her hairline.

“Well, if you’re sure you can handle it, then I’ll give it my all. There's just one rule to this,” Veronica purred, leaning in to whisper in her ear, “You can look, but you can’t touch.”

Suddenly, a song started, much louder than the ones previous, and Chandler froze in place.

The song was sensual, seductive, and Chandler found herself glued to the spot by the hungry look in Veronica’s eyes as she got up from Chandler’s lap and started to dance. Her body moved with such fluid grace as she sashayed across the floor, twirling and shaking her hips, bending forward in an enticing manner and fixing Chandler with a heated stare. The changing colors of the lights framed her with a multicolored halo that made her seem almost ethereal.

Suddenly, the chorus started, and Veronica dropped into a split. Chandler inhaled so quickly she nearly choked on her own spit. If anyone asked, she would deny it, but she was practically drooling over Veronica. The skinny jeans hugged her in all the right places, and at one point, she had taken off her jacket and flung it towards Courtney, leaving her much more exposed in her loose crop top. She strutted up to Chandler and dropped to her knees, spreading her legs and grinning dangerously up at her.

Chandler was sure Courtney had orchestrated this to torture her. Veronica was basically undressing her with her eyes while she danced and Chandler was melting into a puddle under her gaze. Veronica stood up and twirled away, stopping with her back turned to Chandler. She raised her hands high above her head and swayed her hips from side to side, tossing a teasing smirk over her shoulder as Chandler sat, mesmerized by the spectacle. She willed herself to look away, to feign disinterest, but couldn’t quite manage it. Instead, she silently prayed for it to end soon as she watched intently.

It seemed fate wasn’t on her side as Veronica came back to her and leaned in close, bracing her hands on the back of the chair and giving Chandler a sultry look. Chandler barely suppressed a squeak as Veronica reclaimed her spot perched above Chandler’s lap, hooking a finger under her chin and tilting her head up. Chandler let out a shaky exhale as Veronica swayed with the music, reflexively bringing a hand up, only to have it slapped away lightly just before it could make contact with Veronica’s hip. The way Veronica looked at her was downright _dangerous,_ and Chandler gripped the sides of the chair tight, her knuckles turning white as she attempted to restrain herself.

Luckily, it seemed this time that the universe took pity on her. The song ended, and the sound of Veronica panting to catch her breath reached Chandler’s ears.

“Happy birthday, Heather. Hope I didn’t disappoint you with my gift,” Veronica quipped.

Chandler shivered. “It was… good.”

Veronica huffed out a laugh, getting up and holding a hand out to help Chandler stand. “Just good? I’m hurt. Usually after a dance like that I at least manage to get a girl to start questioning a few things.”

Chandler hummed absently. “Maybe you need to try a little harder.”

Veronica snorted. “Sure.”

Just then, Courtney jumped between them and gave a loud whoop. “Let’s give it up for Veronica!”

Veronica flushed at the uproarious applause, taking the leather jacket from Courtney’s hands and slipping it back on before disappearing back into the crowd, the rest of the party going back to whatever they had been doing before.

Chandler walked back over to Mac and Duke, catching a few whispers from other girls who seemed jealous that Chandler got to see Veronica’s dance up close.

Duke and Mac stared between her and the chair in awe.

“Oh my god,” Mac murmured.

“She gave you a lapdance,” Duke muttered numbly.

Chandler nearly protested, before the realization sank in that, yes, Veronica _did_ just give her a birthday lapdance.

“What the fuck.”

Behind her, Courtney smirked as she sipped her drink.


	10. Realizations

Things had been a little odd ever since the Remington party.

Veronica had managed to continue as usual. The Heathers, on the other hand, were having a bit of trouble.

Following the “birthday lapdance,” Chandler had alternated between staring unabashedly at Veronica when she wasn’t looking and pointedly ignoring her. Mac found herself watching Veronica very carefully from the corners of her eyes. Duke kept her nose buried in her books as usual, but inside she was hyper-aware of Veronica’s presence and working desperately to figure out why she was reacting this way to something that shouldn’t even have been a big deal.

She decided to try and work through it rationally.

Veronica had taken them to a party. Then, she had shown up in an outfit that made Duke’s palms sweat and her cheeks flush. Then they had seen her making out with girls at the party and Duke got a weird angry feeling in her chest. Then the lapdance happened and Duke felt… lots of things.

Alright. Duke had gotten nervous when she saw Veronica’s outfit, angry when she saw Veronica making out with girls, and… she wasn’t even sure what she felt when Veronica had done that dance.

Add to that the fact that Veronica apparently had a whole secret camaraderie with the rest of the student population at Westerburg and contacts at  _ Remington, _ and Duke realized there was a lot more to know about Veronica than she initially assumed. A lot more that she  _ wanted _ to know about Veronica. She was… oddly curious.

Okay. She could figure this out. Odd nervous feeling when seeing Veronica in a flattering outfit, anger when she sees Veronica paying attention to other people, especially girls, and curiosity regarding Veronica’s life and interests.

Oh.

Oh no.

She was into Veronica.

It was the most obvious explanation.

_ Fuck. _ She was so royally  _ screwed. _

* * *

 

Mac was trying hard not to be too obvious.

She’d known she liked girls for a while now, had known she liked  _ Veronica _ ever since she started hanging out with them, but after that party, it felt like those feelings had been amplified a thousand times, leaving her an absolute mess of nerves and infatuation.

She felt lost. Obviously, she couldn’t tell Chandler. Word traveled fast at Westerburg, and Chandler could drop her to the bottom of the food chain in an instant if she found out anything personal about Mac’s life.

Huh. It seemed like even she had a rule about telling the other Heathers anything they could use against her.

She couldn’t go to Duke, either. She was just as likely to use that information against her, if not more.

Veronica was out of the question. She couldn’t talk  _ about _ her crush  _ to _ her crush.

She briefly entertained the notion of talking to Betty, but decided against it. They’d been friends at one point, but after…  _ that, _ they hadn’t said more than two words to one another. Mac still felt guilty for that. She couldn’t tell Betty, much less face her and try to talk to her after abandoning her when she needed her most.

She couldn’t talk to her friends, current or former.

Just then, an idea occurred to her.

Probably a bad one, but it was an idea nonetheless.

If she couldn’t confide in a friend, maybe she could try talking to an enemy.

* * *

 

Chandler was sure that something was wrong with her.

Ever since that party, she’d been having to remind herself not to stare at Veronica. Sometimes she was successful, but most days she had trouble tearing her eyes away from her. She just kept flashing back to that dance. Veronica’s eyes, dark and inviting and alluring as she pinned her to the spot with a look. The way her skinny jeans hugged her legs and hips in all the right places. The way the flowy crop top fluttered around as she twirled and swayed. Everything about her seemed to run through Chandler’s mind at lightning speed whenever she found herself looking at Veronica.

If she wasn’t so  _ goddamn hot- _

Nope. Not going down that line of thought. No sir. You can’t catch me, gay thoughts.

But the fact was that they were catching up to her, and the more she tried to push them down, to lock them away in some far off, long-forgotten corner of her mind and heart, the more persistent they became.

She couldn’t help reliving that moment, recalling with crystal clarity just how well-defined Veronica’s abs were, how toned her arms were, how she looked like she could snap Chandler in half like a twig. Day after day, she remembered how good Veronica looked in purple, how perfect her makeup was, how she’d managed to make Chandler question her sexuality within twenty seconds of arriving at the party.

Courtney had looked so  _ smug _ about it, too. She’d set her up, strung her along with the intrigue of an unknown surprise, and basically laughed at her the whole time Veronica had danced.

She needed to get rid of these feelings before Courtney found some way to use them against her.

Better yet, she needed a way to force Courtney to keep her mouth shut.

* * *

 

“I need your help with something.”

Dennis turned around and regarded Duke curiously. “If it’s information on Veronica, I’m-”

“It’s not that,” Duke snapped, before looking away sheepishly, cheeks darkening to a deep pink, “I just…”

Oh. She was nervous.

Dennis was intrigued.

“Just what?” he prodded gently, “I’m not gonna judge. You can tell me anything and it won’t leave this room.”

Duke looked skeptical, but nodded anyway. “Hypothetically, if I had…  _ romantic _ feelings, for a girl…”

Dennis’ brows climbed to his hairline in surprise.

“Heather, are you coming out to me?”

Duke balked. “No! What makes you think that?!”

Dennis nodded in understanding. “Well,  _ hypothetically, _ if you  _ were _ trying to tell me you might not be straight, then I definitely wouldn’t judge, and you wouldn’t have to worry about me telling anyone. Outing people without their consent isn’t something I make a habit of doing, anyway. It’s just a really terrible thing to do to a person, and I like to think I’m not awful.”

Duke eyed him suspiciously. “How do I know you won’t tell anyone?”

Dennis shrugged. “Because… I’m gay. I’ve been dating…  _ someone _ for a couple of years now.”

“You… holy fuck. Why didn’t I know about this earlier?!”

“Because Veronica promised she wouldn’t tell.”

“Is that what she helped you with?”

Dennis shook his head, smiling wistfully. “Not quite. She uh, let me stay at her place after I told my parents. They were… upset, to put it lightly, and until it was safe for me to go home, I stayed in her guest room.”

Duke hummed thoughtfully. “So that’s why you’re so willing to help her.”

Dennis shrugged and shot her a grin. “That and she helped out my boyfriend once or twice.”

Duke chuckled. “She sounds really great the way everyone talks about her.”

“Oh my god.”

“What?”

“You’re gay for Veronica.”

Duke attempted to come up with something to say; some denial or witty rebuttal, but before she could, Dennis laughed.

“Don’t worry,” he chuckled, “I won’t tell anyone. Like I said, I’m not the kind of guy who outs people like that. For what it’s worth, though, I think you might have a pretty good shot. Veronica usually goes for femme types like you.”

“Femme types?”

“Y’know, really feminine girls. It helps if they’re shorter than her.” Dennis looked her over. “You definitely fit the bill. Just like… be cute, I guess?”

Duke nodded robotically, not quite processing the information as she left the storage room in the back of the library.

As she walked out into the hallway, his words finally registered, and she prayed that nobody would notice the blush creeping up her face.

* * *

 

“I need advice.”

Laura’s eyes widened in surprise at the sudden arrival of the rival school’s head cheerleader. “Why are you coming to me? Why not tell one of your friends?”

Mac scowled. “I need someone that can’t spread this information to the others at Westerburg.”

Laura snorted. “Really? I know for a fact that Veronica’s fantastic at keeping secrets. Plus, Betty’s-”

“No. I can’t go to them.”

“Why not?”

Mac looked away guiltily. “It’s… a long story. In Betty’s case, at least.”

“And in Veronica’s case?”

“It’s about her.”

Laura smirked. “You’re into her.”

Mac gaped. “How did you-”

“Oh, please,” she scoffed, “Veronica makes a new girl question her sexuality at least once a day. It wouldn’t be the first time someone’s asked me how to score a date with her.”

A spark of jealousy ignited in Mac’s chest, but she ignored it. “Can you give me advice or not?”

Laura shrugged. “Not if your goal is dating her. She doesn’t really date, to be honest. And if you’re like Emily, and you actually want something long term, then you’re pretty much shit out of luck.”

Mac’s shoulders drooped. “Oh.”

Laura sighed. “Look. She’s never dated anyone as far as I can remember, but that doesn’t mean she  _ won’t _ date anyone. If you really want to try it, then I say go for it. Just… don’t go falling in love, alright?”

Mac nodded gratefully. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. I look forward to kicking your ass this year at regionals. Only figuratively, of course.”

“You wish.”

* * *

 

Courtney hummed to herself as she got out of the shower stall and toweled off. Swim practice had been alright, but she was probably going to be sore in the morning.

As she dressed, she heard the door to the locker room open, and the familiar click of heels against tile brought a smirk to her face.

“I figured you’d be here to kill me sooner or later,” she said, not looking up as she shimmied into her jeans.

“I’m not going to kill you,” Chandler scoffed, “At least, not if you promise to keep your mouth shut about what happened at the party.”

Courtney looked at her quizzically. “Why would I tell anyone about that? Veronica’s been nothing but good to me. I wouldn’t risk her safety by outing her like that.”

Chandler’s eyes narrowed. “What the fuck did she do for you that’s got you so ready to defend her, anyway?” she snapped.

“I got drugged at a party once,” Courtney said, “Veronica broke the guy’s nose and drove me to her place so I’d be safe. She’s kind of looked after me at parties ever since.”

Chandler’s eyes widened in shock. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope. She even offered to help me report it, and respected my decision not to.”

“Why wouldn’t you report something like that?!”

“Have you ever reported any of the times a guy didn’t take you seriously when you said no?”

Chandler froze, effectively shocked speechless.

“I don’t feel all that safe at parties anymore if she’s not there, so she kind of volunteered to be my plus one to most social gatherings.” Courtney finished changing her clothes and put her things in the locker, grabbing her backpack and turning to leave. “Walk with me. We can continue our discussion.”

Chandler followed almost as though she was on autopilot, Courtney’s earlier question having sent her mind reeling.

“Look, I get it. I’ve been where you are. You’re confused and kind of in denial of the fact that you might not be totally straight. That’s totally fine. But you have to come to terms with it eventually. Veronica helped me figure it out. If you tell her, she’ll most likely be willing to help you, too.”

“Why would  _ Veronica _ help me figure out my sexuality?”

Courtney smirked. “Because you’re exactly her type.”

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment if you like and let me know what you like and what you think I could improve! I love hearing from everyone!
> 
> As always, you can feel free to send me prompts, headcanons, or any other asks you want on my blog at shanes-scribbles on tumblr!


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